A coalition of 150 Rhode Island groups that advocate for low- and moderate-income people unveiled a 12-point agenda Wednesday – with a $20 million price tag – that it said would represent “a responsible investment for successful families and a strong economy.”
The ONE Rhode Island “platform of legislative priorities” covers everything from the minimum wage – the groups support raising it to $7.10 this year and $7.40 next Jan. 1 – to increasing the state’s refundable earned-income tax credit for the lowest-paid workers.
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The coalition is also pushing for a greater investment in affordable housing, more funding for children’s dental services, an “affordable energy plan,” and changes to social service programs that they believe would help the working poor.
The stated goal: “economic security for all Rhode Islanders.”
At this point, coalition members said at an event Monday at St. Edward’s Food Center, in Providence, Rhode Islanders don’t have economic security.
In a counterpoint to Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s State of the State address Jan. 25, they issued a document titled “The Real State of the State” in which they argued that while Carcieri says jobs are growing, “wages are stagnant,” and while he says incomes are rising, “he’s not talking about anyone who gets paid the minimum wage.”
The document also chides the governor for saying that “investment is booming” while many Rhode Islanders “don’t have enough money to have a bank account,” and while the state isn’t investing enough in “affordable housing to help keep our younger, educated work force here.”
“The ONE Rhode Island Platform holds the key to ensuring that the governor’s vision is as accurate for low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders as it is for the Rhode Island he’s describing,” the document concludes.
Former state Sen. J. Clement Cicilline, president of the Statewide Housing Action Coalition and of the Newport Community Mental Health Center, said “it’s never been more important” to recognize “the connectedness” of all the issues being addressed by ONE Rhode Island.
“I am here today as the president of an organization focused on ensuring access to housing,” he said. “But I’m not going to talk about housing. I’m going to talk about the significance of ensuring that every low-income Rhode Islander is able to maximize his or her income, and receive adequate food and nutrition, and have access to quality child care they can trust. I’m here to focus on these issues because it’s so obviously clear that Rhode Islanders without child care cannot work. And workers must be paid an adequate wage, so that people can afford the food they need to feed their families.”
Jeanne Gattegno, president of the Rhode Island CAP Agency Association, said the coalition is being “guardedly optimistic” this year.
“If the governor proposes a budget that takes into account all Rhode Islanders’ needs, then it will be a vibrant state,” she said. “If the Assembly passes a budget that focuses on the connections between these critical programs, then it will be a healthy and dynamic state.”
